Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Native plant seeds out of the fridge and under the grow lights!

[Photo: Some of the natives I'm trying to grow from seed (left to right): Aquilegia canadensis, Gaillardia aristata, Tradescantia ohiensis, Verbena stricta.]

I've finished stratifying my native plant seeds and am starting them extra early under the grow lights, to hopefully get them big and healthy before they have to contend with the garden, and the kids and dogs who frequent the garden.

The natives I'm doing this year are all ones I attempted last year, with varying degrees of success (some of them I attempted wintersowing in peat pellets with no cover and they all dried out.)

3 comments:

  1. I agree with not planting the invasives. I put in euonymous vine, ivy, periwinkle and wisteria and have not finished removing it by cartloads. Tried mulching it under, but the roots stay alive forever underground. As well, I've been hacking back the Japanese knotweed which is impossible to kill. Turn your back and it sprouts and is 6ft in no time. The worst thing is when you have a big garden that you think filling up the empty places will stop weeds. Not if the creeping, tenacious, stealth growers choke out everything else.

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  2. How are your seedings doing? I've only had minimal success with seeds so far. They stall out at the transplant stage for some reason. I think it a miracle when they germinate, then suddenly the next hurdle is to keep the conditions just right, water wise and heat and light to get them to grow strong not spindly. I have several flowers and herbs on the go but everything is very slow.

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